High quality water resources are fundamentally important to local communities. Saint Louis University has partnered with public works departments in six St. Louis municipalities (Ballwin, Ferguson, Jennings, Manchester, Rock Hill, and Webster Groves), Stream Team water quality monitors, and the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District to study the use of salt brine as a best management practice for winter road salt reduction with the goal of improved water quality. Road salt use results in concentrations of chloride in stormwater that far exceed the amount that is considered safe for aquatic life. By comparing stormwater composition in three municipalities that use brine with three municipalities that use standard road salt, researchers hope to quantify differences caused by salt application technique and provide information for communities on how to improve water resources and aquatic ecosystems.
Evaluation of Brining as a Chloride Best Management Practice (BMP) in the St. Louis Region
